The Little Bird Girl
by 3200Runner
Summary: Max, Gazzy, and Angel have been at the School their entire lives. When Max is giving the choice to get them out, she takes it. Now all she has to do is earn the Martinez family's trust and then hand them over the School. Well that and to not fall for Nick, one of the adopted sons. Loosely based off of the Little Mermaid. Fax.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Ok, so I would like to note that this is not going to be exactly like the story/movie of 'The Little Mermaid'. It is loosely based off of it. With that being said, please enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. If I did Dylan would never have been alive :3**

Max's POV

Once upon a time there was a girl that went by the name of Maximum Ride.

Ok, yeah, that was as stupid as I thought it would be. I guess that's what I get for trying to pull this off as a fairy tale... But, you should know this this story you are reading is no fable, this is my life.

It all started from before I was born. There are very few things that I know about my past but somehow I ended up at the School. The School is a lab that kidnaps kids of all ages and they experiment on them for "scientific gain."

Along with all of that evil scientific mumbo jumbo they also have very wolfish guards called Erasers. I know, I'm also concerned for the person who named everything. I've suggested therapy but nobody ever takes me seriously.

Anyway, these scientists (A.K.A. whitecoats) were looking for ways to improve the human body by mixing animal DNA with human. I along with two others that I know of were mixing with two percent bird DNA. With that percentage we got thinner bones, higher metabolism, and, oh yeah, wings. Yes, you read correctly, I have two wings coming out of my back. Mine are about fourteen feet long with brown specks in them, while Gazzy and Angel both have white wings.

Gazzy and Angel are both siblings with blond hair and blue eyes. They were sold to the school before they were born and later were brought in. They were lucky enough to have gotten the attention of Jeb, a part time evil scientist, and were moved to the same cage room as me. That's where I meet them. While I was still only about six when they came I become very protective of the two and since then I've always considered them family.

That's why when I've tried to escape the School I always bring them along. Sadly because of their young age of eight and six we have never made it far. Our first time trying to make it out we were caught on the second day, they had us surrounded with nowhere to go. The second time around we had lasted 4 (and a half!) days before they found us without anyone on watch duty.

Now, thanks to a whitecoat stupid enough to get me angry before locking the cage, my little group of three managed to escape for the third time. It's been nine days since we left and we were currently in a forest. It was a little passed dawn and I was the only one up but that's normally how it is. Gasman and Angel only took the early evening and early morning shifts so I could get a bit of sleep. At that moment they were fast asleep.

I was practically falling asleep myself. Nothing interesting was happening and my only entertainment of counting the stars had gone as the sun crept up in the sky. Before that I tried testing some new fighting techniques on a tree but all that did was leave me clutching a throbbing hand. I was itching for a flight but I knew I couldn't leave the two alone. Then I heard a small humming sound. At first it was an almost silent noise, but then it grew louder and louder. It sounded like an airplane.

That got my attention. As the sound got closer my body grew tenser. Was it the School? Are there Erasers on that plane? How many? Are they here to take us back or were they finally ordered to "retire" us?

I focused back on the noise. It was coming from the south heading north—straight toward us. I stood up from the tree branch that I had previously occupied. I peered down at the two siblings asleep a branch below me and I smiled slightly at them. I tore my gaze from the two and glared at the plane. No way was I going to let them take us back.

I squinted my eyes to try to see what type of plane it was. It was jet black with 'Yellowstone Park' written on the side. It's probably just tourist, I thought relaxing a little. Or Erasers disguised as tourist. My shoulders shot up.

Suddenly the side door of the plane slid open. My hand gripped the tree trunk in anticipation. Two figures appeared at the door both wearing fitted suits. One was wearing a bright red jumpsuit while the other one wore blue. They both had parachutes strapped to their backs.

I stared at them for a moment and then begun to laugh. It's just some humans wanting to fly.

I put my attention back to the two on the plane and I saw them jump. The plane was still about two miles away but I could hear the faint laughter from the jumpers. The two began to do tricks in the air and I wondered if they did skydiving professionally. The moves they were doing in the air were almost like what I would do. Well almost.

I watch the two in amusement but my eyes were brought back to the plane. There was another person at the door and this one was wearing normal cloths. As in jeans and a T-shirt but in all black. The plane was even closer and I could make out "Get away from that door! You don't have a parachute!" from the pilot.

The person took a step back from the door and turned to retort but a sudden lurch from the plane sent him flying out.

Oh no.

Well I'm sure you can guess what happened next. My superhero instincts kicked in and I took off. I could see the news paper tomorrow. The headlines will read 'Kid falls out of plane, saved by winged freak'. Way to lay low, Max! But it was too late. I was already shooting up to save some guy I didn't know.

My thoughts went to Angel and Gazzy. Oh shoot! I just left them. Some guardian I am… 'Angel,' I shouted in my head praying she could hear me. 'Angel you need to wake up!'

Max? A small voice said in my head.

Oh thank god! 'Angel I need you to wake up Gazzy and tell him to keep watch for a bit. I need to do something and I will be right back. If there is any trouble yell, ok?'

Alright. Please be careful.

I pulled my hood up from my windbreaker.

The two red and blue skydivers were already sinking down with their parachutes open all the way. They were turned the other way so it would only be the boy in black that saw me.

The guy was calm as he plummeted towards the ground. Not a sound escaped him and for a second I thought he had fainted. His eyes were closed and he made no sign of fear. As I got closer I saw his features better. He was tall with an olive skin tone. His hair was long and black. His cloths were pulling against his body and I could tell—whoa Max! Focus.

His eyes snapped open just in time to see me hook my arms around him. To say it was awkward is an understatement.

And that's when he started to struggle. As if his weight wasn't enough he kept trying to fight me in mid air! His right elbow connected with my ribs and I gasped in pain. I was not expecting this human to hit me that hard. From my surprise I let him go and he plunged down agian. I gingerly pressed down on the sore flesh and winced. With that I rocketed down and caught him again, this time in a much tighter hold.

"Hit me again and I won't hesitate to knock you unconscious." I threatened. He clenched his fists in response.

I flew up towards the closest mountain and I landed at a mouth of a cave. As soon as we landed he ripped out of my grasp and spun towards me. He threw a punch that landed on my left shoulder. I looked down at the hurt shoulder in surprise. My eyes narrowed and I looked up to see him throwing another punch at me. This time I caught is hand and flipped him over my head. He landed with a heavy thump and looked winded.

"I told you not to do that." With that my fist shot out and hit his temple. His obsidian eyes rolled to the back of his head.

I dropped my fighting stance and poked him with the tip of my run down sneakers. I then kneeled down and checked his pulse. Yup he's still alive. I sighed and sat on the cave floor. This boy looked no older than 16 and yet he could knock the wind out of me. Maybe he uses steroids? Yeah lots of steroids.

I flicked my hood down. Surprisingly it stayed on the whole way. Hopefully it kept my face hidden.

I stood up and snapped my wings to attention. I took a running start and throw myself out of the cave, into the air. I flew back to Gazzy and Angel.

Angel, report?, I thought in my head. I was met with silence. Angel? Still nothing. ANGEL?!

I took off as fast as I could until I caught sight of them. At least twenty Erasers stood around a fighting Gazzy and an unconscious Angel. Gazzy was trying to fight three erasers at a time and shield his sister from being taken but it was obviously too much for him. Rage pulsed through me as I saw an Eraser take a swing at the nine year old. Before he could land the punch I soared down to him and kicked at his head, sending it flying to the side with a disgusting crack.

"Why'd you guys start without me?" I snarled.

Three Erasers circled me before I could reach Gasman. They growled and snapped their dog like jaws. I lost my self in my instincts and all I remember is punching and kicking and a sassy remark here and there. I had gotten rid of seven before I heard a whooshing sound. That oh so familiar sound of a gun. I turned my head in time to see Gazzy fall down. I threw myself in the air to try to locate the siblings and hopefully save them when I saw him. My rival. And he was holding a gun aimed straight towards me. There was a bang and then I felt a sting. I looked down at my arm and saw a little needle sticking out.

My wings stopped working and I came tumbling to the ground. No one bothered to catch me and I'm pretty sure that bruised rib I had became broken. I was seeing spots and when I looked up I saw the Eraser with the gun.

"Hi brother. Nice to see you again," I wheezed. Wow. Those tranquilizers work fast…

He picked me up by the collar and said, "Let me help you take a nap," and added a twisted smile to the end.

The last thing I saw was Ari's fist flying to my face.

**Ok so this is my first Fanfiction and I could use some support. Is it a terrible idea? Should I be hunted down for trying to write such a disgraceful story? If you could please tell me what you think I will love you forever! :)**

***3200Runner has signed off***


	2. Chapter 2

**IMPORTANT! READ FOLLOWING NOTE:**

**Hey! Alright before you start reading I just want you to know that *spoiler alert* there is a death scene in this chapter. I know I hate having to give that away but it's not a death for the whole hearted. So if you don't want to put yourself through that just skip to the "~.~.~.~.~" in the middle of the page. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. **

Max's POV

I woke up to the back of my head hitting a metal bar. I fell to the floor in a heap to find this 'floor' was metal and only just big enough to fit me if I fold my knees in. It's was cage. At least I got a bigger cage this time. I clenched my fist. How dare they bring us back here! Oh when I get my hands on Ari, I'll kill him.

I snapped my head up to look for Angel and Gazzy but froze when a wave of nausea hit me. I closed my eyes and waited for the queasy feeling to go away before I assessed my injuries. I touched my shoulder and ribs before I hissed from the pain. Yup, their broken. Then I gently touched the back of my head where Ari had hit me and found my hair was plastered to my head with blood. I sighed and then slowly opened my eyes.

I was blinded with the bright light that illuminated the room but quickly adjusted with a few blinks. Cages lined up the wall each one with a kid in it, although not all of them looked like it. Some looked normal with only a few noticeable traits that weren't quite human. Others were not so lucky, with extra limbs coming out of odd places, or outrages skin colors. A few had scales or patches of fur lining their skin.

The noise in the room was terrible. There were kids crying, shouting incoherent things to the ceiling, and whimpering from pain. The ones that never learned how to speak would make strangle noises as a way to communicate.

I quickly scanned each cage looking for the two blue eyed siblings. I found Angel on my right in a cage that was as far from me as possible. Gazzy was on the other end of the room and I was in the middle. They were both still unconscious but thankfully they were breathing normally.

That's when the door was opened and everyone froze. You didn't need to be a mind reader to know what everyone was thinking. They were all terrified that they were going to be taken for an experiment.

Two Erasers came in, one of them dragging a screaming boy into the room. He clawed at anything in arms reach and his face was twisted in horror. One of the Erasers opened the cage next to mine and pulled out a crying girl, while the other threw the boy into the cage. They closed the cage door and then walked out of the room with the girl.

No one made a sound as they watched the boy yell and hit at invisible things. He tried to get out of the cage by kicking and pulling at the bars but it did no good. The boy's body started to bruise and bleed at his actions but he paid no mind. He would look around the room with a crazed look in his eyes and wouldn't see us. I tried to reach out to him to calm him but he backed away from my hand. I lowered it and looked down sadly. I knew what was wrong with him.

The scientist had given him a drug that causes you to see terrible hallucinations and feel crazy amounts of pain. It was nicknamed "The Terminator" because everyone receives it at one point. It is the mental test and it decides if you have what it takes to survive at the School. I'll admit that I cried in the hours that it was in my blood system. Yes. I, Maximum Ride, cried. But you would be too, if the most important people in your life kept dying in front of you. Or at least I thought they were.

After about an hour (what it's not like I had a watch!) of his struggles his voice was raw from all of the screaming he was doing. The other experiments were softly murmuring to each other, watching him warily. Gazzy and Angel had woken up a while ago but they had their hands over their ears and their eyes shut.

_Just like you told us to_, Angel said grimly.

I sighed inwardly. 'Yes just like I told you to. Now, please, Angel get out of my head. I don't want you to see this.' The sad part is that they've seen death before. Barely just begun life and they've already seen too much. I just refuse to let their innocence be even more demolished.

Soon the boy had stopped moving and was softly whimpering for it to stop. Silent tears ran down his face and the look of desperateness didn't leave his face. He reached his breaking point soon after.

He banged his head against the bar to stop the horrid hallucinations causing a lump too form on his head. He touched it and then looked down at his hands. His eyes screamed of pain and hopelessness. For it all to end.

That's when he began to bang his head repeatedly into the bar. It didn't take long for him to draw blood but even then he refused to stop. Many of the kids were now doing the same thing as Gazzy and Angel whispering words of comfort to them self to ignore the pounding of flesh against metal. Even I had to close my eyes a couple of times.

Blood now covered his cage, giving a metallic stench to the air. His head was layered in blood, to the point that you couldn't tell where he was bleeding out from. He had lost so much blood that he had no strength to sit up. He just laid there dying, breathing heavy slow breaths.

I looked away. And to think that these scientist here have the ability to save this boy, or at least to let him go peacefully and yet they do nothing. How disgusting.

The boy drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. It was the last one he breathed. The room seemed to freeze as we saw our comrade fall into death's grip. It was an unspoken pact for all experiments to grieve one another's passing, so at least someone would say good bye. I blinked away tears from the thought of the boy's short life. The one that never got the chance to feel the grass or see the sun. The one that never got a chance to really live.

A whitecoat came to check on him a few hours later. The only thing he said when he saw the boy's body was "Oh man." I wanted to attack him. How dare he! A child's life just ended and all he can say is "Oh man"? The bars on my cage creaked from how strong I was pulling on them. I wanted nothing more than to get out and kill this pathetic excuse of a human.

Later that day an eraser came in and wheeled the cage away with a look of disgust. They wheeled in a 'new' cage some time later but you could smell the bleach they used to get the blood off.

I turned my back away from it and soon I fell into an uneasy sleep.

~.~.~.~.~

I jolted awake and banged my head with the top of the cage. Rubbing the sore spot I looked around the room for any sign of a problem. Nothing seemed to be the problem except for a few empty cages here and there… Wait where's Gazzy and Angel?

I frantically searched for them in the cages but I couldn't find them. I pounded the bottom of my cage with my fist. Where did they go? Are they ok? Angel can you hear me?

No response.

It didn't take long for an Eraser to enter the room. Of course it wasn't just any Eraser; it was Ari, my half-brother.

"Oh Max! How's your head?" He said with a laugh. I narrowed my eyes at him. "What didn't you miss me? You know you can't be running off like that, we wouldn't want you to get hurt right?"

I glared at him through the bars. "Cut the crap Ari. Where is Gazzy and Angel?"

He smirked. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"If you so much as hurt them I will kill you, little bro." I practically spat out those last words. He bared his pointy canines at me. I rolled my eyes. "Come on Ari. Since you're here I'm guessing I'm going to see 'mommy' today, huh? So be a good little _dog_ and lead me to her." I flashed my teeth at the end.

Ari lunged forward and slammed into the cage, grabbing onto it hard enough to snap the bars in half. He slashed at the other bars and flung comprehensible curses at me. Despite the fact that I had to press myself into the other side of the cage to avoid his mad clawing or how my bones rattled from all of the jolting his attack was causing on the cage, I still smiled. Just knowing I could get under his skin so easy gave me satisfaction.

He finally tore most of my confinement to pieces, throwing the bits of metal that used to be the cage door to the side. He reached in to the cage and grabbed me by the collar before picking me up above his head and throwing me to the tile floor. He then drew in deep breaths, in an attempt to calm down.

While he composed himself, I quickly got up and scanned the room. Some of the experiments were avoiding my gaze while the younger kids looked at me in awe. I guess it's not every day that someone back talks to Ari. I also looked at what used to be my cage, all that remained were the chunks of metal scattered on the floor and a half in tact side. Well that's one way to open a cage, I thought dryly.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I heard rustling from Ari. He was coming towards me with his hand out stretched to grip my arm. I gave a sigh and stepped forward, away from his touch to the door. "You comin' or what?" I asked. He grunted in response and grabbed onto my arm.

He tugged me out of the room and down a maze of hallways. Faint noises could be heard through the closed doors and a sickening chemical smell was in every breath I drew. Oh how I hate that smell.

As we slowly made our way through the School I studied Ari. His dark hair was tussled and his brown eyes looked forward and dimmed with a mysteries emotion. He almost looked sad as he pulled me along and it was times like this that made me remember that he biologically was my brother—well half-brother. I suppose I can't really blame Ari for the way he acts. The wolf genes in every Eraser give them an animalistic side and the School uses that to their advantage, making us experiments seem like weak prey. Although I try not to think about how naïve they are since they are constantly attacking my little family.

With a tug we stopped in front of a plain white door with a number pad by the door knob.

He quickly typed in the passcode, which was 329, but realized his mistake in typing it in front of me. Ari turned to me and I averted my eyes to the side and whistled a tune, trying to look as innocent as possible. He snorted at my attempt. I scowled. Not everyone could pull off Angel's Bambi eyes…

Ari opened the door and ushered me in. I quickly walked in and took in my surroundings. The room was relatively small and plain the only décor being the table and chairs, though three things stood out to me.

One, a window that covered most of the wall and showed two small familiar kids tied to metal chairs. Their blond hair was rumpled to their heads and their blue eyes were wide in fear. It was Gazzy and Angel.

Two, in front of them was a medical cart that had two vials on top of it. The color of the liquid was bright green and bubbled every few seconds. That was what had been given to the boy with terrible hallucinations. The very chemical that made me fall to my knees. The Eliminator.

Three, in the room that I was in there were two white coats. A woman known as the Director and certain part time evil scientist. The very whitecoat who helped Angel and the Gasman when they were younger and was like a father figure to me. The one who promised me freedom and before disappearing. The scientist I believed to be dead. Jeb Batchelder, my father.

**Dun. Dun. Dun.**

**Ok so First) I would like to thank ****Girl-With-Wings-And-Anaklusmos**** and ****SuperWhoStarkidMerlinAvengLock**** for giving me the hint that my story was actually worth reading:D**

**Also ****NAMMAN22**** deserves a thank you because she was the one that reminded me that I needed to update. Without her lovely comment I wouldn't have posted this chapter!**

**Second) I knew this story doesn't seem very Little Mermaid-ish but just give it some time and you'll be able to recognize it.**

**Third) Please leave me a comment! One comment was all it took to give me the energy to write this chapter so it would be much appreciated if you could leave me a review:D Thanks!**

***3200Runner has signed off***


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